Chapter 49: With this ring I thee wed

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you.
May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years,
May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth.

The song ended and again the church was filled with awed silence, as the lights were kicked back on and the couple blinked repeatedly to dispel the tears in both their eyes.

"I now declare you husband and wife." Joseph said, looking from Tim and to Joy, who had eyes only to each other.

They were smiling, thinking it was hard to believe that they had finally gotten to that point in their lives.

Tony noticed the zoned out look in McGee's face, so he leaned forward and whispered to him.

"That's the part where you kiss the bride, Probie."

McGee laughed, turning to glance at Tony before resting his eyes again on his wife. "I know that."

"So what are you waiting for, son?" Joseph asked, looking at the newlyweds with a smile on his face.

McGee approached his satin clad wife, taking her into his arms and feeling the shiver running in her body as he embraces her gently pulling her closer to him. She lifts her face to him, her dark eyes shining with indescribable happiness. All his life he had dreamt about this moment, and the reality had surpassed all his wildest dreams.

He finally takes his wife into his arms, leaning his face towards hers and taking her lips in the sweetest kiss he has ever tasted, feeling the faint taste of her gloss which is soon surpassed by the familiar sweet taste of her mouth, as he kissed with all his soul and all his love.

They faintly heard the catcalls and clapping of the wedding attendees but he keeps kissing her, opening his mouth and diving into a wet kiss that turns him breathless and makes his toes curl in his shoes.

They finally stop and touch their foreheads, finally aware of the clapping of the people in the church. They touch their foreheads with closed eyes, savoring the intimacy of this new moment in their lives, humming lightly with the energy in their bodies.

They open their eyes and take a step back from each other, grinning wickedly as they see the happiness in the other's face. Joy glances at her father and nods, silently asking for the mike.

Her father nods proudly at her and gives her one, while he hands another to Tim, so both newlyweds turn to the church that have now had sat back and are waiting for the final words of the wedding.

Joy looks grinning to her sisters sitting on the stairs to the pulpit on her right, then to Abby and Ziva and Sarah sitting on the left, before glancing at her Mother sitting primly at her wheelchair beside the first pew where her 'Uncle' Jack was sitting with the Joint Chiefs and the First Family.

"First of all, we would like to thank you for coming to this celebration. We are aware that it was on short notice but..." she glanced at McGee, who was grinning at her. Tony was wearing an equally wicked smile on his face, lifting his eyebrows at Ziva who simply shook her head.

"... we simply decided that we had waited enough. There's no time like now. For those who are not familiar with my family traditions, you might have noticed that this celebration was different from most weddings. It was a celebration of life and also hope. As we're here to show the Devil that hunts us in our everyday life that he was defeated forever. The earth shook and the waters came and we were not shaken, as our hope is relying on the Lord, creator of Heavens and Earth."

She turned to McGee and offered her hand, where her wedding ring was. He gently kissed it as she looked to Johnny, nodding to him asking for the next song.

"So, in order to finish the service today, we will celebrate it in true Buchanan fashion. We're a musical family, so we will lift our voices to the heavens in praise and worship and we would like to invite you to participate as well."

The first accords of the next song came from the piano, Joy started singing a very old hymn and soon the whole church was singing with her. Her sisters stood up and the whole congregation joined in a huge choir.

Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom pow'r and love
our God is an awesome God

Gibbs stood up and soon the BAU followed his example, making the others guests stand up as well as the simple message of the song filled the church.

Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom pow'r and love
our God is an awesome God

The chorus was repeated several times in a crescendo, while the Matthew, Johnny and Mark and Jake played hard their own instruments. Mark played hard turn on the drums and finally finished the song before Johnny started another introduction, and Gibbs was surprised when Timothy took the lead as another song started being played.

"Let's finish this well, shall we?" he said, surprising everyone when he started singing side by side with his wife, with the orchestra and the band playing behind.

So I'll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all

So I'll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

Joy smiled as he took the lead of the singing, joining with her sisters in the second chorus, being followed with by the choir filling the church with lyrical praises, which drifted like sweet incense up to the Throne of the Almighty.

Outside the grounds of the church, the marine's and the presidential guards who were on standby in order to avoid any disturbance with the High Brass and the presidential party smiled, as the party had been up until then very calm.

In no moment they've seen the celestial army keeping the grounds, miriads of angels, almost in double in the numbers of their humans counterparts, surrounding the church, reception grounds and who also were making a very thick glistering protection over the city, proclaiming it a protected city, therefore untouchable to any attack of the evil.

NCIS NCIS NCIS

The band and the orchestra played a different song as the bride and groom left the church with the flower girl and the little page, followed by the bridesmaids.

Gibbs and Tony brought the rear of the procession, watching the church slowly getting empty as people went to the small garden outside. Gibbs couldn't help laughing as he found McGee and Joy kissing passionately outside surrounded by the bridesmaids, who were whistling at them and throwing rice all over them and the guests.

They separated grinning and started receiving the well wishes from the bridal party and slowly saluting the long line of guests.

They patiently waited for their turn after the brass of NCIS and FBI, as well as some marines.

Vance, Jackie and their children went towards the old marine and senior agent and stood by with them, and when they reached their turn, they smiled at the happiness shining from the couple.

"Congratulations Agent McGee." Vance looked at Joy. "Mrs. McGee."

"Ah," Timothy looked down to Joy. "She's keeping her name at least professionally." He glanced at Gibbs with a big smile. "It would be too confusing to have two McGees answering to Gibbs's calling."

"It was a beautiful ceremony, Agent McGee." Jackie said, her hand over her daughter's shoulder. The little girl was looking at Joy's dress with huge eyes.

"You look like a princess." Deliah, Vance's daughter, said stretching her hands and touching the delicate lace over her skirt.

"Thanks." Joy said glancing at Mrs. Vance before leaning to the young girl.

"Why don't you go hang out with Stephanie? My niece will be leading the entertainment for the teens and children. There will be potato sack races, karaoke, all these things."

Deliah looked up at her mother, who smiled at the bride. "Stephanie was the young girl at the violin at your entry song, wasn't she?"

"Yes, ma'am. And she played the cello later on."

"Please, mom?" Deliah tugged her mother's skirt, eager to go play.

Jackie grinned at her daughter, who pouted at her begging for her permission.

"Let's see."

"Ah..."

"Where is the reception?"

McGee pointed to the line of Marines who were guiding people towards the High School grounds across the street, where they had set up medieval tents around the football field. There were posts with red and bold banners on the road indicating the way, the cloths floating in the wind against the blue skies.

"Just follow the crowd."

The Vance family left leaving Tony and Gibbs with the McGees. Tony grinned and grabbed Timothy in a bear hug, almost crushing him in an Abby like hug, slapping his back heavily.

"Man, I can't believe it. My Probie finally grew up. Got married. Will have little Buchanan-McGees running around the floor soon."

McGee coughed at that, self consciously grinning at Joy, who blushed and looked at the floor.

Both men took a step back, each looking at the other with silly smiles on their faces. It was a time of celebration, a good day, no reason to spoil it with what ifs or worries about things they couldn't change.

Tomorrow would soon come, and with it new responsibilities, duties and worries.

But for now, they would celebrate.

Gibbs slowly approached Joy, who after a small grin hugged him gently, her arms going around his middle and resting her head on his chest. Gibbs felt his throat clench, wishing for the impossible, that it was his own daughter giving him this honor, but beggars can't be choosers. So he grinned at her masking the desperate longing in the deepest corner of his heart and choosing instead to rejoice with them.

"Thanks for coming and standing up as Tim's dad, Gibbs."

"The honor was mine, Joy." He said against her veiled head, the beads and pearls on her veil prickly against his skin.

They separated both with their eyes misty with the emotion of the moment. Joy sniffed lightly and took a step back as McGee went to thank Gibbs. Both men stood the other for a moment uncertain of what they should do. Gibbs then simply put a hand on the younger man's shoulder and brought him to one of those manly hugs, with lots of slapping and awkward words exchanged.

"Thanks, Boss. For everything."

"You've made me very proud today, Tim."

Timothy took a step back and looked at Gibbs with surprised eyes, his eyes a little bit misty with the totally unexpected praise.

"Really?" He could barely hide his eagerness, once again reminding the older man of the young green agent he had chosen for his team so many years back in Norfolk.

"Really. It was a beautiful ceremony, son."

McGee's smile at Gibbs words was blinding, tugging at the older man's heart as he recognized he doesn't have the habit of praising his team members. In fact, he couldn't remember a single time he had a word of praise to the young man in front of him, making him feel a little bit old and grumpy.

Somehow McGee sensed the change in Gibbs and he was very quick to correct it.

"Boss, I'm very glad you came and stood by me, by us." He put an arm around his wife's waist, bringing her against his side. "We've been through a lot but thanks to you, to your lessons, we fought to survive whatever life threw in our way regardless of the odds against us. We are very thankful to you. And we're in your debt."

Gibbs looked at the two agents before him speechless for a moment, before his brain finally formed words again.

"You owe me nothing."

"You're wrong." Joy said, glancing at Timothy who nodded, agreeing with his wife.

"We owe you a lot. And we won't ever be able to repay you."